Comedian Lee Kyung-kyu (64) has been booked on suspicion of drugged driving, and CCTV footage revealing the circumstances at the time of the incident has been released, intensifying the controversy.
According to video released by MBN on the 25th, Lee Kyung-kyu was captured on CCTV staggering on the road instead of the sidewalk after hitting a parked bus in an alley in Gangnam, Seoul, on the 8th and moving his vehicle. As a result of his sudden actions, two vehicles following behind crossed the centerline.
The bus driver reported that "(Lee Kyung-kyu) said that he was unsure how to park his own car and due to the cold medicine, his senses were dulled, causing him to slightly hit the back of my car."
Afterward, Lee Kyung-kyu was seen leaving a nearby parking lot in another car, not recalling the location of his own vehicle after visiting the hospital. An employee at the parking lot explained, "He said he had not parked a car here," to which Lee Kyung-kyu responded, "Did I?"
Before going to the hospital, Lee Kyung-kyu also stopped by a gas station car wash, where he madly crashed into a wall despite staff signaling him to "reverse." After exiting the car wash, he also made an illegal left turn by violating the centerline on a road without traffic lights.
After being notified of a suspected vehicle theft, the police dispatched to the scene conducted a rapid drug test on Lee Kyung-kyu, which resulted in a positive response, leading to his booking for drugged driving under the Road Traffic Act on the 24th. Results from a thorough examination by the National Forensic Service also showed a positive result.
The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul summoned Lee Kyung-kyu for questioning on the 24th. After the investigation, Lee Kyung-kyu told reporters, "I took medication for panic disorder and did not fully recognize that I should not drive when 'my body was in pain.' Moving forward, if I have any such medication among what I take, it is probably a good idea to refrain from driving. I will be cautious in the future."
The police stated, "Even if it is a normally prescribed medication, if it affects driving, it falls under drugged driving according to the Road Traffic Act."